A/N: Hopefully this is the start of more frequent updating over here. This is a full chapter. Lots of development and character interaction. An actual case. Hope you enjoy it!

Chapter Twelve

Mark walked through the hospital, thinking that Julia must have won hide-and-seek often as a child, because after scouring all the usual places (and even a few unusual) he couldn't find her anywhere. He had just about given up on finding her when they met in the pit. He went to talk to her, but she turned away sharply, slamming a chart onto a cart before striding from the pit. Derek watched this with some interest, smirking as his friend sighed audibly and walked toward him.

"What was that all about?" Derek asked. "Last I heard she was wanting to have your children and now she's very obviously avoiding you."

"You're not the only one who can piss off nurses," Mark shot back.

"What'd you do this time?"

"I slept with Lexie. She walked in on us."

"What-here?"

"Oh, like you've never done it," Mark retorted agitatedly. "I was going to sort out my feelings. I was going to think it all through and tie up all the loose ends."

"But you're you," Derek pointed out.

"Exactly. I ended up in the supply closet with Lexie and I don't know what came over me. I just blurted it out."

"Blurted what out?"

"That I loved her," Mark said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "What else would I blurt out?"

"I don't know. So, Julia found you guys there?"

"No. We went to an on-call room and, well, you know what comes next. So, she's pissed."

"With good reason," Derek noted. "I mean, it's a good thing you're with Lexie now. I won't miss her constantly talking to me about you. But, you couldn't take a minute to tell Julia you guys were finished?"

"She talked to you about me?" Mark said, bowling straight over the Julia comment.

Derek rolled his eyes. "You better deal with Julia. It's not good to have a pissed nurse on your hands. Take it from someone who knows."

"She's not on my service. I don't have to worry about ten blades in the palm."

"Deal with it," Derek said.

"Maybe I can just let it be. I mean, she knows. She saw us-"

"Deal with it, Mark."

"But-"

"Deal with it."

An ambulance pulled up behind the hospital, a paramedic pulling open the back doors of the ambulance as she said, "We have a young girl, three years old with a possible head injury and cracked ribs."

Owen stood to the side with April while Cristina held the cart. The paramedic pulled the gurney out of the ambulance with Owen's help. He looked at the battered child and muttered, "What the hell happened?"

"It was an accident!" the mother sobbed, climbing out of the ambulance after her daughter. "I didn't mean to close the door! I didn't mean to!"

"She was in a washing machine," the paramedic explained as they wheeled the patient into the hospital. "Someone at the laundromat called 911."

"What?"

"She just climbed in," the mother said hurriedly, following them. "I-I didn't see her! My back was turned and I went to close all of the washers. I didn't know! I swear, I-"

"Ma'am, we need you to step back," Cristina said, exchanging a look with Owen. "Dr. Kepner will take you to the waiting area."

April took a hold of the woman's arm, steering her toward the waiting area. The woman twisted in her grasp and called out over her shoulder, "I'm sorry, baby! I'm so sorry!"

Owen shined a light in the child's eyes, watching for the dilation of her pupils. He pocketed the light, scanning over her other injuries.

"We need to get an x-ray of her abdomen," Owen said. "Make sure these broken ribs didn't cause any more damage."

"CT scan, too?"

Owen nodded, his jaw tense.

"Let's see the extent of the damage."

"It was awful," Lexie said, stuffing her mouth with food in the cafeteria. "She just walked in on us. I had no idea he hadn't ended things."

"You couldn't have known," Meredith said. "Believe me, speaking from experience, there was no way of you knowing he wasn't with her."

"Looks like you both have been dirty mistresses," Alex said, pushing his salad around on his plate. "Congratulations. You guys should get medals or something."

"He said he loved me. You'd think if you say you love someone, you wouldn't be with another person. That's logical, right?"

"This is Sloan we're talking about."

Lexie sighed. "You're right. While he is many things – wonderful things – logical is not one of them."

"So, are you guys together now?" Meredith asked.

"Yes. I think so." Lexie stuffed a fistful of French fries into her mouth. "Maybe?"

"Stop stress eating," Meredith said, laying a hand on her arm. "I'm sure he told her."

"Told her what?" Izzie asked, joining them at the table.

"Lexie and Mark banged. Julia, the chick Mark was dating, walked in on them," Alex explained crisply.

"He also told me he loved me," Lexie added, frowning when Meredith swatted away her hand as she reached for one of her carrot sticks.

"He said he loved you?" Izzie said happily.

"Yeah, but the verdict is still out on whether or not he ended things with the nurse," Alex said.

"I'm sure he did," Izzie said.

Alex raised an eyebrow. "It's Mark Sloan."

Izzie easily responded, "And we all know his kryptonite is you, Lexie. I bet you he's telling her right now."

"What are you doing in here?" Callie asked, thinking it strange that she found Mark Sloan in the observation deck of one of Arizona's surgeries.

"What does it look like I'm doing? I'm watching your wife do a surgery. Thrilling stuff."

"You hate pedes."

"I don't hate pedes," he refuted. "How can anyone hate pedes?"

"Mark," she said, tone warning.

"Fine. I'm hiding," he admitted.

"From who?"

"Julia. And Derek, because he will tell me to stop hiding from Julia."

"What'd you do?" she asked knowingly. "It must have been something pretty bad to make you resort to the observation deck."

"Well, I told Lexie I loved her-"

"Mark, that's great!"

"And we got, uh, intimate. Julia walked in."

Callie snorted, running a hand through her hair. "Well, that's awkward."

"Yeah, especially considering that I hadn't broken up with her yet."

Callie was silent for a moment before she burst into laughter, leaning forward as she held onto her waist. When she caught her breath Mark gave her a reproving look and asked, "Are you finished?"

"Just a bit longer," she said between giggles. "Alright…I'm better now."

"You know, this really isn't funny."

"It kind of is," she said. He gave her another look and she said, "What, come on, Mark, it's pretty funny!"

"I can't face her."

"Uh, yeah, you can. And you will. If you want any chance with Lexie, you need to get rid of the ex."

"She wanted to have my kid," he said.

"Yeah, well, I'm pretty sure she doesn't anymore. Stop hiding and man up, Mark."

The residents sat in the back hallway for a quick snack, Cristina filling them in on her ER case with Owen.

"Seriously, if your kid is climbing into washing machines, you shouldn't have had them in the first place," Alex said, taking a bite of his apple.

"I don't know. Kids are unpredictable," Meredith said.

"You can't be serious," Jackson said.

"What? Crazy things happen! You all don't know because you don't have kids but-"

Alex laughed, gesturing toward Meredith with his apple as he said, "Zola's been in the washing machine, hasn't she?"

"What? No, of course not!"

"Your kid has been in a washing machine!"

"Zola has not been in a washing machine," Meredith said firmly. "I'm just saying that kids are unpredictable. You turn your back for a minute and-"

"Your kid is in a washing machine?" Cristina finished, pulling out a chip from the bag in her hand and popping it into her mouth.

"Yes. That is the general sentiment."

"I don't know. Still seems pretty extreme to me," Jackson said. "I mean, kids do stupid stuff. I get that. But climbing into a washing machine?"

"You'd be surprised at the stupid stuff kids do," April said. They looked at her strangely and she explained, "I'm the oldest in my family. Lots of younger siblings doing a lot of really stupid things."

"Any of them climb into washing machines?" Alex said.

"No. That's actually one stupid thing they haven't done."

Cristina's pager beeped and she glanced down at her waist band, frowning when she saw the 911.

"Shit. This is her. Something's wrong."

The patient was vomiting blood. It was bad enough on an adult, but nearly unbearable on a child who was barely five. Cristina kicked the brake from the bed and said, "Book an OR. She needs surgery now."

Cristina studied the scans of the patient's abdomen as they scrubbed into the surgery.

"Damn it," Owen said. "It tore into the spleen, too. See that?"

Cristina nodded. "The spleen and the kidney. We're going to have to work fast."

They pulled their surgical masks up and then walked into the operating room. The patient was prepped already, under the spell of anesthesia. They stood on either side of the operating table, exchanging a quick look before Owen extended his hand.

"Ten blade, please."

"Julia."

He caught her just as she was leaving. There was nowhere for her to run off to, except her car but even she knew she wouldn't give him the satisfaction of her actually running away. She turned reluctantly, setting him with the surliest look she could muster.

"Hello, Dr. Sloan."

"About earlier-"

"Oh, I think that is quite clear."

"I love her, Julia," he said, voice devoid of all the usual Mark Sloan charm. "I know it doesn't make it any better. Or make me less of an ass. But I love her. It wasn't just a hook-up."

"Well, that makes me feel better," she said sarcastically.

"I never wanted to hurt you. Believe me, it's the last thing I wanted to do."

"Maybe you should have thought of that before you cheated on me inside our workplace."

"I was going to tell you."

"Before or after you slept with her?"

"Look, I know I'm an ass," Mark said. "And I know I messed up. I care about you and I should have respected you enough to be honest with you. When you said you wanted to have a baby-"

"I wish I could forget that," she muttered.

"I should have told you then how I really felt. I'm sorry that I didn't."

She ran her hand through her hair. "Well, whatever. It's over now."

"Okay."

"I don't want to have your baby anymore."

He couldn't help but smirk a bit at her insolent tone. "Fair enough."

"I'm leaving now," she said after a moment, shifting uncomfortably.

"Alright. I really am-"

"Don't say it," she said, shaking her head. "Not again. I'll just…I'll see you later."

He nodded, rubbing the back of his neck. She walked out without another word.

The patient pulled through, Cristina and Owen patching up the damaged kidney and spleen. The CT scan showed no brain damage and they told the mother that she could take her home in a few days. Walking out, Cristina closed the chart and said, "I still can't believe that was all from a washing machine."

"Definitely one of our more unusual cases," Owen agreed.

She glanced at him, mouth pressed into a frown. She knew it was difficult for him to see her interact with children. It was a harsh reminder of what they had lost – what she had forced them to lose. Knowing she would never have enough words to make that particular issue resolve, she did the only thing she could think of and captured his hand with hers, interlacing their fingers. He didn't hesitate before squeezing her hand gently.

April sat at Joe's, sipping at her whiskey and coke as she waited for Jackson to arrive. He told her he would come by when he had finished a surgery he was scrubbing into with Dr. Altman. She was in her usual seat at the bar, making casual conversation with Joe as he flitted from one customer to another. She was scrolling through her phone when someone sat beside her.

"Fancy meeting you here."

She looked at the man beside her, eyes widening when she saw that it was none other than Dave. It was so much like their first meeting that she found herself becoming somewhat nostalgic.

"Back at you," she retorted, smiling. "How are you?"

"I'm good. A few work buddies and I decided to come here. Friday night and all."

"A solid plan," she said.

"I wasn't sure if I should at first," he said, clearing his throat. "With our history and all."

"You're more than welcome to come here when you like," she said. "It's not like it's my bar."

"It sort of is," he joked. "More like Seattle Grace's hospital, but you work there so it is yours by extension."

She laughed. "I guess you're sort of right. And I don't mind you being here."

"Good. So, how are you?"

"Fine."

"Just fine? Come on, Kepner, you can do better than that."

She smiled at his gentle ribbing and said, "Stupendous, then. Is that better?"

"I don't know. Might be a bit of an oversell."

They laughed for a moment until an almost comfortable silence fell between them. She reached for her drink and took another small sip.

"So, have you told him yet?" Dave asked. She knew exactly what he was referring to without him giving any further clarification as to the him or the telling.

"Yes."

"So, you two are together?"

She took a deep breath. "No, we're not."

"Any why the hell not?" There was an edge to his voice that surprised her. "You know, you're both bigger idiots than I thought."

"It's not as simple as you think, Dave."

"Not everything has to be complicated, April. And this – this is not complicated. It's easy; ridiculously so."

"Dave…" she trailed off when she saw Jackson walk into the bar. "Look, he's coming over here. Please don't say anything. I understand that you think I'm being ridiculous, but I don't. All of these worries are real to me. They're real and just please-"

"I won't say anything," Dave said, shaking his head a bit. "I'm not that petty. But, for goodness sake, get a move on. I'd like to have not broken up with you for nothing."

She let out a small sigh of relief. "Thank you."

"I'm going to go before I have to talk to him. As nice as the guy was, I still sort of think of him as the thing that ended our relationship."

"It was really nice seeing you again, Dave."

He grinned and leaned in to give her a quick hug. "You too, April. Take care."

He walked back to his table, and Jackson took his place beside her. He glanced back toward the direction the other man had walked and said, "Was that Dave?"

She nodded. "Yeah, it was."

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. It was nice seeing him again."

Jackson sat down and said, "Oh. Well, that's good."

She thought about what she had said, and realized that it had been nice to see him. Even a week ago she was pretty sure it would have been jarringly unsettling, but now it was nothing but pleasant. It was a bit bittersweet, of course, but more sweet than bitter.

"Order your drink," she said, smiling slightly. "This round's on me."

"This round?" Jackson asked with an arched eyebrow.

"You heard me, Avery," she said. "We're celebrating."

He ordered a beer and then asked, "Celebrating what?"

"Life," she answered with a wide grin.

He picked up her drink and asked, "Exactly how many of these did you have before I got here?"

"I've been focusing a lot on the negative lately," she said. "But I don't want to do that anymore. For all the negative in my life, there's positive, too. There's a lot of positive. I want to focus on that. Celebrate that."

He smiled softly and said, "You're a strange girl, April Kepner."

Joe handed over his beer and she picked up her whiskey, raising it for a toast.

"To the things in life that should be celebrated," she announced.

Jackson clinked his bottle against her glass. "Cheers to that."

A/N: So, reviews have been a bit down for this one. If you are still reading, please leave feedback. Your reviews drive me to write more. So...let me see your thoughts on this one!